This invention relates to motorized vehicles, specifically to the improvement and safety of motorized vehicles. The system is an activated state license plate containing an electronic component activated by a satellite transmission.
Primary Components
(1) SATELLITE
(2) CENTRAL MONITORING SYSTEM
(3) MOTOR OPERATED VEHICLE
In regard""s to a.t.o.t. part of the reason that car thieves are becoming more adapted at stealing vehicles is that they keep pace with every new anti-theft device on the market.
One of the tactical advantage they enjoy is time to consider and develop countermeasures to the new devices. Steering columnlocks, ignition coils, fuel line cutoff devices are well publicized in popular technology magazine. The car thief also gains hands-on experence against such equipment with his own car.
As a result the variety of anti-thief device currently being marketed ranges widely from interlock system for the ignition to keyless digital combination locks, on to sirens that sound when a delicate sensing system is interrupted. However in spite of all the engineering time and money that has been invested in auto theft equiment in resent years, vehicles theft statistic have not substantially improved. In 1991 over 1.66 million vehicles were reported stolen in the United States up 1.6 percent over the 1.64 million vehicles stolen in 1990. By region 32 percent of the motor vehicles thefts occurred in the southern states, 24 percent by the northeastern states, 26 percent by the western states, 18 percent by the midwestern states. Monthly volume statistics show the greatest number of vehicile theft in August, and the least during February.
For every 100,000 inhabitants living in m.a.s. (mass statistical areas) there were 659 motor vehicle thefts reported in 1991. The rate in metropolitan statistical areas the rate was 803 per 100,000 of population. In cities outside metropolitan areas the rate was 223. And in previous years, the highest rate were in the nation""s most heavily populated monicipalities indicating the offence is primarily a large city problem. By the percentage of vehicles stolen and the region of the theft occurrance. The inverse of truck and bus theft.
For example, in the northeastern states, 92.7 percent of all vehicles stolen were auto, while 4.4 percent were trucks and buses, and 2.9 percent were other vehicles in western states, 71.4 percent of all vehicles thefts were auto, 21.9 percent were trucks and buses, and 6.8 percent were other vehicles. The estimated national loss due to motor vehicle theft was estimated to be 8.3 billion for 1991, with the average vehicle worth 4,983.00 nationwide in 1991. Only 14 percent of the theft cases were cleared by local law enforcement agencies. Those in cities cleared 16 percent, and those in rural areas cleared 33 percent. Highway shooting, drive-by, and carjacking have also placed the concern for personal safety squarely in the laps of the average motorist. Carjacking (stealing a car from the owner at gunpoint) has mushroom in cities like Detroit, Mich. and Houston, Tex. and since spread to other cities. In Los Angeles some 4,000 carjacking occurred in 1991.
The concept of a.t.o.t. is an actual motor vehicle registration tag that would include an electronic transponder feature to indicate legal and proper status for operation of a vehicle on public highway. This electronic registration tag would be self contained and would attach to a motor vehicle licence plate at the location normally reserved for conventional registration tag. The micro-electronic in the tag would be in communication with an orbiting communication satellite. As long as the current vehicle registration is valid the a.t.o.t. system would appear illuminated thereby providing highway patrol officers with a simple means of determining the legal status of a motor vehicle or operator at a glance. Should the vehicle be reported stolen, the owner""s insurance is cancel, and or the operator""s license would be revoked, the a.t.o.t. could be remotely turned off. Thereby indicating that the vehicle may not be operating in a legal manner. The appealing feature of a.t.o.t. would be the use of the self-contained electronic transponder tag and satellite. The system will provide the remote and automatic means of visible indication the legal operating status of motor vehicles. Valid a.t.o.t. would illuminate normally while vehicles reported as stolen, unisured, having an expired registration, unpaid ticket""s, outstanding warrant""s, unpaid child support payment""s or possibly operated by a vehicle owner with a revoked driver""s license could be readily identified by a police via the non-illuminated tag.